Saturday, February 28, 2009

Friday, February 27, 2009

Well, I guess I really can't call it my first session, considering it wasn't even a session. D & L (David and Lisa), asked if I could come over today and shoot a quick head shot that they could show on the big screens in church this weekend, announcing little Zane. Of course I can, are you guys kidding me? However, when I say it was quick.... I mean it was QUICK. I had exactly 15 minutes or less to shoot the little man, because my son left his baseball gear in my car, and he had a game to be at way down in Miami Lakes. So I got to the Hughes home about 5:15 and was out of there by 5:40 PM, but he was fed and burped during this time and I sort of just danced around him and shot when I could.

I know some may be blurry.... and I know in time I will be able to do SO much better with my photos once I learn photoshop, but for now this the all I can do with the editing program I do use on my computer and as well as picnik.com

The 'goal' was to try to get him with his eyes open. At least we accomplished that part of it, right? He looks like a little old man, doesn't he? So precious he is! As a little peek as to what will be in the slide show once I figure out how to save it on my computer, a birth photo of Zane.

So many have asked me how to get the moving 'blog roll' that I have on the bottom right of my blog. If you want it, email me today and I will send you the codes for it!!! Go to the contact me tab at the top!!

I am so excited about this. I have no clue about etsy, but from what I am learning about it, it's popular and a wonderful place making and selling things for beautiful causes. The Mac's (Cora's parents/family) have been working hard to create and make things for Cora's little shop on the site to raise money for her playground. Cora's is a legacy!!!

I took an image from The Mac's blog, because not only are they crafty and creative, I really love the stuff I have seen so far and wanted to share it with all of you. Head over to Cora's Shop!

I finally made it to one of Hunter's out of state travel hockey games, Chicago!!! I had never been and it was the last tournament and game of the season, so there were many reason's to make this trip. Morgan and I packed and headed to Chicago with the Jr. Panther's. Morgan, instantly became the team mascot. The boys (and parents) loved having a baby aboard, and Morgan got tons of attention.

The first game Friday night after we arrived was a pretty ugly game. The Panther's lost by a whopping 14-1, Hunter shooting the only goal. The boys, should not have lost by so much, but they were tired after a long travel day and just weren't ready to play.

Saturday we had 2 games and a skills competition. Needless to say it was a LONG day of hockey. Morgan and I officially became 'rink rats' this day. The Panthers tied both of their games of the day. The first tie game Hunter shot the 1st goal of the game and the last goal, in the last 22 seconds of the game.

Saturday night a few players and parents headed into downtown Chicago to have dinner at the famous steakhouse, Gibson's.

Sunday the players played their last game of the weekend and what an intense game it was. They WON, after taking us into 2 overtimes and a shootout, winning their first game of the weekend and their last game of the season!!!! It was a great game to watch and drew in a huge crowd during the overtime and shootout games. You don't get to see many of those at tournaments.

Anyways, I have to say as tired as I was from all the travel, games and cold weather. Both Morgan and Hunter were awesome the entire weekend. Poor little Butterfly, she was either in a stroller or being held for all hours of the day at the rink because it was too dirty to let her crawl around. She was such a trooper. Hunter played his best hockey of the year and made me proud!!!

Here are the pictures as I promised!!! See aren't you proud of me? I am finally getting caught up here with this stuff!!!!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

So today on a whim I decided I would send Michelle @ Circle of Life a last minute email, for an invite to the park. She has patiently asked me so many times to meet up, in which I shamelessly never "got around to".

Today I was suppose to do a photo shoot for these twins for Hoity Toity Clothing, but as it turned out it has been rescheduled to next week. As I am on my way home from dropping Hunter off at school, I got an "itch". The first itch was from something I read today:

Today's Quote

If a friend is in trouble, don't annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it.

So, I did just that. I went and picked up my BFF (a.k.a. Lisa or Zane's mama) some breakfast at Chick-Fil-A and I quietly dropped it off at her door.

I then decided; "what a nice breezy warm day to be out at the park." As I get home, I thought "you know, I know someone that could probably get out and enjoy an hour at the park as much as Morgan and I."

So I then quickly hopped on the computer and sent Michelle an email asking her if she was up for it, and she was. We had a wonderful time. Something we should have done a long time ago, but we will not wait so long next time.

We both brought out our cameras and had fun shooting a little bit of each others kids, as well as our own and an occasional sneaky shot of the other hard at work. LOL! There were so many fun shots that I just put them in a slide show. So here you go -- ENJOY!!!

Lisa called and asked if Zane could come hang for about an hour while she ran some errands, and so of course I said yes to having my little boyfriend over to see us. I am reminded each time I see him, as if its' the first time (again), just how tiny this little guy is. I really can't remember Hunter this small. It amazes me.

So instead of leaving Zane in his car seat, I pulled off Morgan's diaper changer mat and put it on the floor next to Morgan's play area, so I could attend to two babies in one spot. Well it went a little something like this.

Zane just chill'in all cozy and cute

Morgan comes over to check him out,

but instead pulls his foot and starts to drag him, as if he was a teddy bear....

I say "no, be gentle"... this is what I got in return.

Morgan trying to be all cool and sneaky,

gets a little closer and gives Zane another hard tug.

I again say "no, Morgan, gentle" (while showing her what gentle meant)...

I then got this!

I decided to distract Morgan away from Zane, while he was laying so peacefully...

Wanting to go crazy with the camera but knew I didn't have the time.

Here comes Morgan to take anther little peak at this "thing"....

I position myself in what I thought would be a great spot for a "kiss-kiss"

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

I have to admit that I am sad every time I open up my iphoto library now. For I only have 691 items in it, when I had over thousands of photos in there. If I could get an icon of a face overflowing in tears right now... that would be how I feel.

So, I did not post today because, I did something that was very much needed. I forced myself to turn my computer off, closed it down and stuck it away in a chair, so to not be tempted to open it up and get on it today. I am spending this week getting my home cleaned and organized. I am taking my daughter to the park and getting her out of the house and into some fresh air, spending more 'real' quality time with her.

Today I CLEANED my home. So much, to the point, that I was on hands and knees crawling around and hand scrubbing spots and stains off the marble floor. I then went and got dinner and made dinner for hubby, my friend Val and her daughter. I have been feeling depressed over the last couple of weeks. I find that I am reading a sad story, over sad story, on this blog thing that it has started to take its toll on me. I am a very compassionate person, and I tend to hurt when I see people hurt. The Cora story, as you have seen by reading my blog, really hit home for me. Its been a wake up call for me. However, it was also causing serious anxiety and depression in me. I have been so heartbroken for this family, for the parents and for the loss of that little girl. By the way these two parents of Cora's sound so amazing. She recently has been posting on her blog and seems to be handling the loss of her daughter so strong and courageous. I don't think that I would be the same, but man I so admire that they are able to because it (as silly as this may sound) has helped ME to ease up on the anxiety and mourning of Cora that I have felt for them. Knowing and hearing how strong Jessica (Jess) the mother sounds in all of that just takes a huge burden off of me and makes me smile to see how God is so taking care of his daughter, Jessica.

So what is this post about?

Well, nothing much, I just thought I would take a moment to say hi to my readers and to blogs I enjoy reading while everyone else is sleeping, before I head off to bed myself. Tomorrow, I am taking baby girl on a bike ride, to the park and then we are going to go watch big bro in his baseball game.

Speaking of, I still have Chicago pics to post with the details of that weekend. I MUST post that because I am SO proud of Hunter and it isn't often I get to post pictures of my little man, who hides from the camera these days.

Oh and this weekend, hubby and I took Morgan to the park and we took sandwiches to eat, laid out on a blanket and had ourselves a little picnic. It was a fun filled afternoon. I took Morgan on the swings for the first time. I said to Mark on the way there "today I bring no camera with me, for I am going to enjoy this time in person, not through a lens." I was proud of myself.... but wait it doesn't end there, of course she looked too darn cute swinging on the swing, that I had to take pictures of her with the cell phone camera. HA! Although it wont be the best of images, I will post them tomorrow. I am too tired to send them from my phone to the computer right now. But isn't that ridiculous? I am addicted to taking pictures!!!!!

Thankfully my husband ordered me a HUGE HD (hard-drive) so I can now back up all my future photos.

Sunday, we enjoyed a guest speaker at church, then attend Hunter's double-header games. They lost, but boy did he look so cute in his uniform. He hit well too. But funny part of all of this is that he was more interested in getting his first email account. So daddy promised him an email account, and as of Sunday evening, Hunter my little boy as entered the world of emailing. I received some of the sweetest and cutest emails from him Sunday night. My son.... a child after my own heart. The love and bond we will share when he gets a phone (in 5 years) and can text his mama. LOL!!!

Yes, yes, yes.... I already am aware and on top of things to keep things safe for my son on the computer and his email account. Looking into parental controls, safe guards and anything else I can to keep his email use safe and fun for the little man. So please, ladies do not ask me for my 8 year olds email address, okay!!! HA!!

Well, I must head to bed now, but first I may just have to fill up on oatmeal cookies and a glass of whole fat free milk. I am sitting here in the dark just admiring the clean smell of my clean house today. Ahhhh!!! Another love language of mine!

Oh one more thing..... I never remember to watch "Get Out" in the afternoon, but happened to stubble across it today and it was two shows back to back, and a lot of my shows I hosted. Today, they aired the San Francisco show where I sang "take me out to the ball game" at the 7th inning of the Giants game. The show I will never forget. A game that was sold out with a crowd of 48,000 people. I sang.... and I got booed!!! Yes, not only because I can't sing to save my life (seriously, I am like Camera Diaz, have you ever heard her sing?) I am that bad. But also because I tried to play up the crowd..... well, lets just say with the 2 second delay of the sound to the crowd, and that many people to play up to......just didn't go so well. Oh what a day to remember. I was very humbled that day.... the day I got booed. It made me feel better to know that they are just a hard crowd to please, and that Jessica Simpson was also booed there before, so I felt much better.

Speaking of, I had Morgan sitting in her high chair and every time mama would come on, I would point and say "mama" to her at me on the screen. I am texting Mark telling all that is going on, and then I look over and see Morgan had fallen asleep. Um, the girl just woke up from a nap, how could she be sleeping again? I guess "Get Out" couldn't hold a place next to Handy Manny, and she was bored out of her mind and just said she's "Gett'en Out" alright. LOL

Oh and although it was a God wink that I had to appear in court yesterday, that I didn't go to Tahiti. Can you believe I sat at the court house for hours, to only be told that the hearing has been rescheduled and I have to come back to court on the 10th of March? I just want to pull my hair out!!!! Courts..... avoid at all cost, because they are so not considerate of others!! It isnt' up costing me $50 bucks for a sitter that day to sit at court and do nothing. Grrr!!! Either that or God, also was showing his sense of humor to me. :)

Thank you all that has sent me emails offering sympathy or advice about my lost photos, but I have come to accept that they are gone and move forward. I feel and am blessed, that I have the REAL deal in my arms to hold and kiss and smell..... Ill take that any day over pictures.

But I still haven't been offered up any advice on how to burn and upload the slide DVD I made??? Anyone know?

Good Night blogging world!!!!

I know you have seen these pictures before, but I am posting them again because I like them and I can. Picture with Morgan at 3 months old and then me at age 21, Hunter 6 months old.

Monday, February 23, 2009

I did not try to organize my photos on my computer this weekend (MAC), and some how find that they have been lost and deleted. I did not cry and get really upset for all the many, many, many photos I had not yet backed-up. I did not get cranky at my husband, because he did not tell me several times to do such things like backup my photos on to the hard drive. I did not waste most of my Saturday evening dealing with recovering the little amount of photos I could. I was not heartbroken to see that ALL the pictures I had not yet saved of Morgan over the last 10 months GONE. However, I was not a little relieved that I at least still had Morgan's birth photos on the old camera's card, because those don't really mean that much to me at all (not).

I am not really disappointed in myself, and I do not have a love/hate relationship with this stupid MAC, laptop that I do all my work on. UGH.... this was so NOT ME!!!

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PS: I need help from anyone that uses MacBook OX S or whatever its called. How it came about me losing ALL my *^%(&(#(& photos was that I tried to make my first iDVD slide show of all the photos I took of my friends birth last Monday. My computer kept telling me I did have enough space on my hard drive to save the DVD on my computer or burn it on a CD. So in attempt to "clear" up some space I started organizing the thousands of pictures I had on my computer, deleting what I didn't need any longer and deleting photos I had in iphoto and or in my 'picture' file that were the same. Some how, I ended accidentally deleting an iphoto tab or something and it lost ALL my photos. I am devastated by this, and want to throw my computer in the pond behind my house here.

I made a really cool slideshow in iDVD and would like to save it so I can upload it on youtube. Can anyone tell me how to do this, PLEASE???????

Saturday, February 21, 2009

In a small town in the middle of Kansas, you get to know people pretty well. Everyone seems to knoweveryone's aunt, cousin, brother, dog, or teacher. So when we recently learned that Cora, the 10-month-old daughter of our friends, The McClenahans (aka "The Macs") was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, it rocked our community.

Cora's mom, Jessica, is a blogger and word quickly spread throughout the blogging community. Thousands of people began visiting their blog, leaving messages of love and encouragement.

Sadly, Cora Paige passed away only 3 short weeks after her diagnosis, but the strength and faith of her parents has spread and inspired people globally. In lieu of flowers at her memorial, The Macs asked for donations to be made to help build a playground in their baby girl's memory - Cora's Playground.

Etsy seller joyshope recognized a strong need among people who wanted to do something to help, but no one was quite sure what to do. She offered the simple suggestion on her blog, www.joyshope.com, that Etsy sellers make items to help raise money to build the playground. The idea exploded into something beautiful!

Now we are launching The Cora Playground Etsy project. Over fifty shops are donating their time, their love, and their creations to help a sweet family who many have never met, but have changed our lives and our hearts forever.

Please search Cora Paige to see the listings. Know that your purchase will send love to Kansas. It will help build a legacy, a playground for generations of children to enjoy. A legacy for a beautiful girl who's time on earth was much too short.

Evidently yesterday Will got into the kids vitamins and ingested around 150-160 of them. As of yesterday evening they had been at the hospital for some time. I really don't have any other info. Not sure if they came home last night, but seeing how he hasn't updated makes me wonder if they are still there? Regardless, please pray that Will makes a very quick recovery and if they are not home, that they will be soon!

I posted a week or so ago that I was invited to shoot an episode or two of 'Get Out!', this travel show that my old roommate and I use to host together for a couple of years, on HD Net. I was really excited about it for many reasons.

1. I love to travel and this trip would be taking me to Tahiti. A really cool place I have never been to.

2. I love extreme stuff and that is what Get Out show is about, fun and often times extreme stuff to do while visiting other cities and countries.

3. I would have my FIRST child free weekend in ages that I often feel I so desperately need.

4. I get to see my old roommate and friend Lindsay, old directors and have some fun.

Well, once they confirmed I would be going, purchased my flight and gave me the dates.... all I had to do was show up.

Having been in Chicago this past weekend for Hunter's hockey tournament, which I traveled alone with both kids. It was fun but VERY exhausting on me, physically and mentally. Poor baby girl in the freezing cold, became a rink-rat. She was either being held or forced to sit in the stroller for long hours of the day. She was such an amazing trooper with it too. However, just trying to keep her entertained, fed, warm and cheering on Hunter in the intense hockey games.... it takes it toll on you doing that for 3 straight days. Plus not getting to sleep as sound or much as you need to. Morgan actually ended up sleeping right next to me this weekend, for she would wake up several times in the playpen, so I gave up and put her next to me where she slept like a baby.

Traveling home Monday evening, just feeling completely and totally spent. I was feeling overwhelmed and stressed about this upcoming weekend, when I am to fly to Tahiti. I felt tired and the thought of unpacking and repacking for another trip just didn't float my boat. Then the thought of leaving Morgan for that many days and or being away from her, was killing me. I thought I was ready, and I told myself I was ready, but I don't think I am. She (as well as I) have never been apart from each other and that is a serious attachment. Plus, I felt frustrated that I hadn't had the chance to tan. If you do not know the show Get Out, it is a guy audience kind of sports show, and we the host (girls) are almost always in bikinis. I was told that one of the shoots I would be doing would be a swimsuit shoot. Sort of like the Sports Illustrated, photo shoot for the show. At first I thought, okay... I can do that. Then after thinking about it, I realized I was by far the oldest girl there by at least 5 years and the only mother. Although flattered they think I am fit to do such a shoot, what the heck was I thinking? I am not that girl anymore. It is hard enough to watch yourself age in the spotlight, in photos and realizing that no photo shoot I ever take from here on out, will ever look as good as they use to. That is all good stuff, because that means I am healthy, living a good life, but at the same time isn't always easy.

I thought about it a lot, and it isn't like I was feeling insecure about being in a bikini, because for just having a baby 10 months ago, and having two kids come out of this body... I say I am doing just fine here in this body of mine. However, I was feeling unprepared to be in bikinis next to these young girls who have all the time on their hands to work out, tan and have age and time in their favor of not ever having produced offspring from themselves yet. I then began to realize, this is not what I want to be a part of anymore. I LOVE acting, being on TV, in the spotlight and yes, I will admit, I do enjoy the limelight often too. I love it because the energy I get from it all, not necessarily because of the attention. I am not attention starved by any means. I feed off energy. That is why I love to be on sets of any kind shooting commercials, music videos, TV and film...whatever, just put me on the set.

I, for most of my 13 year career as a model and actress have been known as that "blonde bikini girl". I get called for the sexy stuff, the bikini stuff and for the most part, its all I have known. I know how to rock the camera when they need someone to be comfortable in their own skin and be sexy for the camera. I have done Miller Lite ads, Australian Gold tanning lotions.... and many, many others things that required the sexy blonde girl in a bikini. It sounds a bit conceded but it is what it is, the truth.

Moving forward...

I am now x-years old now. I do not want to be that bikini girl anymore. I want to accept my new roles as the more classic beauty mom girl. I want to represent myself in ways that I can be proud of and that my family and friends can be proud to show off to their friends. Not that I am embarrassed or ashamed of the bikini stuff, because I am not. I am just not that girl anymore. However, its been a hard transition for me, because when I see myself in new photos looking more sophisticated and mature, I tend to not like the images. I think its because they are not "pretty" in the kind of "pretty" way that I am use to, and have known for the last 13 years. Does that make sense? I am not use to seeing myself in this way. I am doing my best though to accept it with a smile and be thankful for the years I was blessed to do those roles and shoots in the past, and thankful I can be considered still one to do those shoots, but now feel confident enough to turn them down and take on more age appropriate bookings.

Anyways, getting to the point. I have been stressing over this because in truth I wanted to go to Tahit. However, I just wasn't feeling the whole idea of shooting a bikini shoot for Get Out, rolling around in the sand on camera and trying to be those young girls anymore. I didn't want to leave my family either. However, I had already committed to going and I felt 'stuck'.

God being AMAZINGLY good as he always is to me, came to my rescue. Get this....

1. I get a text from my friend Pat, that I have mentioned on here before. She use to clean my house and is in a really awful custody battle with her ex-husband. Her daughter Sarah is in the custody of the state right now because of claims against one another (Pat and Husband etc.). She has me being subpoena to appear in court on Monday of next week. The time I would be in Tahiti. As it turns out that once you are subpoenaed you must appear, regardless of your plans to travel or not. Whoa! What timing!

2. The sitter I had arranged to stay with Morgan during the hours Mark would be at work, text me, to tell me that she can no longer attend to Morgan, because she was called in to work at the school she subs for. I thought I had confirmed her for my days I needed her, but she thought I was getting back with her, never heard from me and so she took the other job instead. A huge communicating error, that was meant to be.

So as of yesterday, I canceled my trip to Tahiti and already a huge weight has been lifted off my back. Part of me feels a little disappointed about not getting to travel to Tahiti, and getting a weekend away to enjoy some free time for myself, but at the end of the day, none of that matters. If Get Out ever invites me back again in the future, maybe it will be better timing and I can make it, but if not, it is not what is important to me. My family, my 10 month old daughter are way more important than that.

I look forward to watching my son in a double-header on Sunday and maybe, just maybe the weather will allow for me to lay out for an hour and get some much needed rays on this white body of mine. I am looking forward to the weekend with my family. Plus, I have two families that want me to shoot their kiddos and I feel way behind on my shoots, photos processing and photo albums. I need to get busy.

So to leave you with something cute...... this is the picture I took of Morgan on our last day in Chicago. This picture is SOOC, and just beautiful. Ill post other pictures from Chicago soon...you know, once I get done with the zoo photos, the baby shower photos, the father-daughter dance photos, the birth photos, Christmas photos, cruise photos....then Ill get the Chicago pictures up. LOL

Goodness, maybe one day I will catch up. I only need about 48 straight hours of none interruptions to get them done. It isn't easy trying to work on editing photos, when you have an active 10 month old pulling at your pant legs or biting your toes. Yes she bites my toes and I have a picture to prove it, but that will have to be after the Chicago pictures, so it may be awhile. LOL

Anyways.... I better get some laundry done. Man, I am one blessed wife, mama and woman.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Laurie and Lisa (a.k.a the mommy --- believe it or not she was there too)

Charlie took a picture on daddy's IPhone

Proud Grandma - Pat

The Team "Me and Daddy" getting ready to go in

First family photo with Zane

Meeting big bro Charlie and sister Victoria

Family Prayer of Thanks

Just arrived:

February 17th, 2009

Time: 8:15 AM

W: 6 lbs 10 oz

H: 19 inches

Zane Michael Hughes

In Awe

The Hughes Family of Five

David, Lisa, Charlie, Victoria and Zane

No footprint is too small to leave a print on this earth

A foot to never be this small again

Precious Little Boy

Zane

Victoria having a little one-on-one

CBGLADES.COM

Big Brother

Big Sister

Proud Grandfather - Rod

Proud Aunt Amy

Photographer and adopted daughter - ME!!

The FUTURE!

I truly feel honored in so many ways that I was able to photograph such an amazing miracle, the birth of a child. I can't explain how excited I was about this. It's very surreal at this time for me, that I watched this child be born via c-section. Yes, I watched the entire thing and loved every minute of it, for all you squeamish week stomach folks.

I enjoyed capturing such emotions, such love and the beautiful circle of life. I am thankful, because I am the FIRST photographer that this hospital has accepted in for birth photography. The doctors, nurses and entire staff were wonderful people to work with. It truly felt like a peaceful miraculous day in every way.

Baby Zane, born beautiful and healthy. So soft, tender and small.... yet so big of life. That first cry, that first peek out of the eyes and that first moment when daddy and son see face to face. I will never forget today.

Thank you David and Lisa, for allowing me to be apart of your family, your lives and this very special moment in welcoming your son, Zane.

PS: I have tons more of photos, but once the others are approved by the parents, Ill post a slide show.

*Note* If you would like to leave a comment, you do not have to be a blogger to do so, just click below "post comment" and post it under anonymous. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the photos.